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- ItemSynthetic gravitational horizons in low-dimensional quantum matter(College Park, MD : American Physical Society, 2021) Morice, C.; Moghaddam, A.; Chernyavsky, D.; van Wezel, J.; van den Brink, J.We propose a class of lattice models realizable in a wide range of setups whose low-energy dynamics exactlyreduces to Dirac fields subjected to (1+1)-dimensional [(1+1)D] gravitational backgrounds, including (anti-)deSitter space-time. Wave packets propagating on the lattice exhibit an eternal slowdown for power-law position-dependent hopping integralst(x)∝xγwhenγ 1, signaling the formation of black hole event horizons. Forγ<1 instead the wave packets behave radically different and bounce off the horizon. We show that the eternalslowdown relates to a zero-energy spectral singularity of the lattice model and that the semiclassical wave packetstrajectories coincide with the geodesics on (1+1)D dilaton gravity, paving the way for new and experimentallyfeasible routes to mimic black hole horizons and realize (1+1)D space-times as they appear in certain gravitytheories.
- ItemThermalization by a synthetic horizon(College Park, MD : APS, 2022) Mertens, Lotte; Moghaddam, Ali G.; Chernyavsky, Dmitry; Morice, Corentin; van den Brink, Jeroen; van Wezel, JasperSynthetic horizons in models for quantum matter provide an alternative route to explore fundamental questions of modern gravitational theory. Here we apply these concepts to the problem of emergence of thermal quantum states in the presence of a horizon, by studying ground-state thermalization due to instantaneous horizon creation in a gravitational setting and its condensed matter analog. By a sudden quench to position-dependent hopping amplitudes in a one-dimensional lattice model, we establish the emergence of a thermal state accompanying the formation of a synthetic horizon. The resulting temperature for long chains is shown to be identical to the corresponding Unruh temperature, provided that the postquench Hamiltonian matches the entanglement Hamiltonian of the prequench system. Based on detailed analysis of the outgoing radiation we formulate the conditions required for the synthetic horizon to behave as a purely thermal source, paving a way to explore this interplay of quantum-mechanical and gravitational aspects experimentally.